Omar Fateh wins mayoral endorsement at chaotic DFL convention
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State Sen. Omar Fateh addresses the Minneapolis DFL Party convention Saturday. Photo: Kyle Stokes/Axios
The Minneapolis DFL Party convention ended Saturday night in a chaotic flurry of activity that saw state Sen. Omar Fateh claim the party's endorsement for mayor.
Why it matters: The young democratic socialist lawmaker's victory over two-term sitting mayor Mayor Jacob Frey is a major coup for left-wing critics hoping to unseat the well-funded incumbent.
- It's also the Minneapolis DFL's first endorsement in any contested mayor's race since at least 1997, per the Star Tribune.
What they're saying: "Today, we witnessed a rejection of politics as usual," Fateh said in his victory speech on the Target Center floor just before 10pm.
- "We know the status quo are going to do anything and everything to maintain power," he told his supporters. "They'll have all the money in the world … But they don't have you."
Friction point: The result came after Frey supporters abandoned the arena around 9pm, with campaign officials alleging the party's online delegate voting system had completely broken down.
Minneapolis DFL Party official Briana Rose Lee disputed those claims, telling Axios that the system worked, but was bogged down by slow devices and internet connections at Target Center.
- Frey's campaign intends to appeal with the state-level DFL Party, a spokesperson told Axios.
What happened: After delegates took the first mayoral endorsement vote on their smartphones at around 5pm, party officials took nearly two hours to tabulate and report results.
- As the count dragged on, officials with Frey and Jazz Hampton's campaigns questioned whether the online system had recorded all delegates' choices, citing a smaller-than-expected number of votes.
- Lee said the campaigns' math was wrong, and also noted campaigns each sent representatives to oversee a party representative as they combed through a spreadsheet of results line-by-line.
With Frey supporters leaving, and the convention facing a firm 10pm adjournment deadline, the remaining delegates held an endorsement vote by, essentially, a show of hands.
- When the vast majority of remaining delegates raised their badges for Fateh at around 9:30pm, the convention chair declared the state senator the winner.
- Remaining delegates also filed paper ballots, but a complete count wouldn't be available until after adjournment.
Reality check: The convention setback for Frey does not necessarily foretell his defeat in November.
- Frey also finished second at the 2017 and 2021 DFL conventions before winning in Minneapolis' ranked-choice general election. He's also likely to go into November with considerable cash advantages.
The other side: "This election should be decided by the entire city rather than the small group of people who became delegates, particularly in light of the extremely flawed and irregular conduct of this convention," Frey campaign manager Sam Schulenberg said in a statement.
The intrigue: Fateh's endorsement appears to have come after at least some of DeWayne Davis and Jazz Hampton's supporters crossed over to Fateh and raised their badges for him on the second ballot.
By the numbers: In the only round of endorsement voting reported Saturday, Fateh won 43.8% and Frey won 31.5% of the roughly 577 votes. The party's endorsement threshold is 60%.
- Davis received 19.9%, shy of the 20% he needed to advance to the second ballot.
- Hampton received 4% and Brenda Short received less than 1%.
What we're watching: How Frey challenges the results, and how the state party handles their protest.
- Former party chair Conrad Zbikowski — a candidate for Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, whose endorsement process was completely upended by the voting delays — also told Axios he will likely file a protest with the state party.